The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond
The novel starts with Binya, a 10 year old girl from a village in Himalayas goes in search of her cows — Neelu and Gori in the valleys. There she sees some tourists, camped and a beautiful blue umbrella, kept open on the ground. It's so pretty and frilly, looks like a giant blue wild flower sprung up on the muddy ground. When one of the tourists asks for the leapord claw pendant she has worn in exchange for the blue umbrella, she readily accepts the deal and happily gets that from them. From the moment she gets that, she never closes that; wherever she goes she takes that along with her with great pride. The umbrella is neither big nor small for her. It covers her perfectly. The colour and its floral shape attracts everyone from the village.
Ram Barosa, a teashop owner in the village is drawn towards the blue umbrella and asks Binya for that but she refuses.
Days pass by; Binya always keeps the umbrella open; Winter passes and spring comes; the bright blue umbrella starts fading but Binya's craze for that never wanes. Nor does that of Ram Barosa.
One day Ram Barosa's servant RajaRam notices his owner's craving to own the umbrella. He promises to get the umbrella in exchange for money. At first he hesitates but later consents.
While trying to steal the umbrella Raja Ram is caught red-handed and lies that he has been threatened by his owner that he will be fired if he doesn't get the umbrella.
This news spreads like a wildfire throughout the village. People stop visiting Ram Barosa's shop. They start gossipping that Ram Barosa (Ram the trust worthy) has become Ram the umbrella thief. This collapses Ram Barosa and he grows weaker and weaker day by day.
Binya however is happy and content with her umbrella. But whenever she crosses his teashop, she closes the umbrella and opens that only when she becomes out of sight from his shop. She feels bad and even guilty for having become the reason behind Ram Barosa's pathetic condition.
One day she buys some toffies from his shop and leaves behind the umbrella while leaving.When Ram Barosa tries to give that back to her, she doesn't get that back. When Ram Barosa refuses to keep that with him telling, "It's the most beautiful umbrella in the area." she says, "I know, But an umbrella is not everything."
His happiness knows no bounds. But this time, Ram Barosa is not so obsessive. He keeps that always open outside the shop to let everyone who needs, use it. People start coming to his shop again.
Ram Barosa is very happy now a days.He gives Binya and Bijju (her brother), their tea with a little extra milk and sugar. One day he finds a bear's claw, a lucky find. He gives that to a silver Smith; makes it a locket; joins it with a silver chain and presents that to Binya. That looks really pretty on her. And she leaves the place whistling, in search of her cows.
Binya's character teaches us the significance of being good. It teaches us to use things and to love people; not in an other way around.
Comments
Post a Comment